Samuel Ward (1725-1776)
}} Biography * 31st and 33rd Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations * 7th Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court * Continental Congress Delegates * Founders of Brown University Gov. Samuel Ward, Sr. (1725–1776) was an American farmer, politician, Supreme Court Justice, Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and a delegate to the Continental Congress. He was the son of earlier Rhode Island governor Richard Ward (1689-1763), was well educated, and grew up in a large family in Newport, Rhode Island. After marrying, he and his wife received property in Westerly, Rhode Island from his father-in-law and, upon settling there, he took up farming. He entered politics as a fairly young man and soon took sides in the hard-money vs. paper-money controversy, favoring hard money, or specie. His primary rival over the money issue was Providence politician Stephen Hopkins, and the two men became bitter rivals, alternating as governors of the colony for several terms. Ancestry and Early Life Ward was born in Newport in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in 1725, the son of Rhode Island colonial governor Richard Ward. Samuel Ward's mother Mary Tillinghast was the daughter of John Tillinghast and Isabel Sayles, and a granddaughter of Pardon Tillinghast who had come from Seven Cliffs, Sussex, England.1 She was also a granddaughter of John Sayles and Mary Williams, and a great granddaughter of Rhode Island founder Roger Williams, making Ward the great great grandson of the colony's founder.2 Ward's great grandfather John Ward was born in Gloucester, England and had been an officer in Cromwell's Army, but he came to the American colonies following the accession of King Charles II to the English throne.3 Ward was the ninth of 14 children.4 He grew up in a home of liberal tastes and cultivated manners, and he was trained under the discipline and instruction of a celebrated grammar school in his home town.5 He may also have been tutored by his older brother Thomas, who had graduated from Harvard College in 1733.5 Rhode Island Colonial Governor During this time of political activity, Ward became a founder and trustee of Rhode Island's first college, Brown University. The most contentious issue that he faced during his three years as governor involved the Stamp Act, which had been passed by the British Parliament just before he took office for the second time. The Stamp Act placed a tax on all official documents and newspapers, infuriating the American colonists by being done without their consent. Representatives of the colonies met to discuss the act but, when it came time for the colonial governors to take a position, Ward was the only one who stood firm against the act, threatening his position but bringing him recognition as a great patriot. Revolutionary War Ward's final term as governor ended in 1767, after which he retired to work on his farm in Westerly. However, he was called back into service in 1774 as a delegate to the Continental Congress. War was looming with the England, and to this end he devoted all of his energy. After hostilities began, Ward stated, "'Heaven save my country,' is my first, my last, and almost my only prayer." "When I first entered this contest with Great Britain, I extended my view through the various scenes which my judgment or imagination pointed out to me. I saw clearly that the last act of this cruel tragedy would close in fields of blood. I have traced the progress of this unnatural war through burning towns, devastation of the country and every subsequent evil. I have realized with regard to myself, the bullet, the bayonet, and the halter; and, compared with the immense object I have in view, they are all less than nothing.... Heaven save my country, is my first, my last, and almost my only prayer." (Samuel Ward) Death to Smallpox He died of smallpox during a meeting of the Congress in Philadelphia, slightly more than three months before the signing of the American Declaration of Independence, and was buried in a local cemetery. His remains were later re-interred in the Common Burying Ground in Newport. Marriage and Family As a young man, Ward married Anne Ray, the daughter of a well-to-do farmer on Block Island, from whom the couple received land in Westerly, and they settled there as farmers. He devoted much effort to improving the breeds of domestic animals, and he raised a breed of racehorse known as the Narraganset pacer. Samuel and Anna Ward had eleven children. Their second son Samuel Ward, Jr. served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Continental Army. A great-granddaughter was Julia Ward Howe who composed the "Battle Hymn of the Republic". Ward's aunt Mary Ward married Sion Arnold, a grandson of Governor Benedict Arnold.4 Legacy In 1937, the Town of Westerly, Rhode Island honored Governor Ward's memory by dedicating its new high school to him.6 The road that formerly fronted the main building of the current high school campus was also named Ward Avenue for his family. The large Georgian-style building has served the town's students faithfully since 1939 and is currently part of a larger high school campus formed in 2005. The school is made up of two buildings, the Ward Building and Babcock Hall (the former junior high school, built at the same time). Ward High School was officially renamed Westerly High School in the late 20th century, following the path of other school districts, but keeping its letters WHS.6 But the high school's main auditorium was given the former governor's name, in keeping with the spirit of the original dedication, and a large brass plaque now greets visitors at the space's public entry.6 References * Samuel Ward - Wikipedia * Samuel Ward - disambiguation